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Formed in 2003, HolyCow is a full service visual communications agency that brings business ideas to life using a combination of animation, motion graphics and video. Whether the business objective is to get customers buying or employees inspired,we translate information into meaningful visuals that engages and persuades audiences.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

With the power of visual communication becoming increasingly acknowledged, its scope is getting broader every day. Here are the 11 trends that I believe will have the most significant impact on the industry in 2011.

1.Life after death by PowerPoint

As presentation technology becomes more sophisticated, audiences will come to expect high end, flashy presentations that utilise the full functionality of what today’s presentation programmes have to offer. Microsoft’s latest version of PowerPoint, for example, brings huge advances in video and animation capability which means the programme has more to offer than ever before. We’ll also see an uptake in the use of Prezi, a web-based, flash presentation tool that uses a single canvas instead of the traditional slide show as its mechanism and allows presenters to interact with their content.

2. Social media goes visual

Video and photo content will be the focus of social media platforms in 2011. YouTube is already the second most popular search engine after Google, and as far as searches go, posts with visual content most often feature at the top. It’s inevitable then that social marketers will use visuals as their prime bait in 2011.

3. Not lost in translation

With communicators taking heed of the multilingual dynamics that exist in many business environments, they will acknowledge the need to present their ideas in a universal medium. To ensure messages don’t get lost in translation, communicators will increasingly use visual means such as images to convey their message.

4. Smart videos

No longer will viewers be restricted to just watching visual material.Expect to see more online content where viewers can interact with the video and have a say in the outcome. It is this capability that will make interactive smart videos a hot viral marketing success in 2011.

5. Internal communication goes visual

Due to its ability to engage stakeholders in ways that other forms of communication cannot, visual communication will infiltrate further into the internal areas of business that were traditionally kept on paper. The use of visuals to engage staff in induction programmes, for example, will become more pervasive. We can also expect to see more visuals in high stakes scenarios, such as the launch of new projects or big board meetings, where employee and shareholder buy-in is key.

6.Simplicity

Just as consumers are seeking refuge in simplified design, so too are companies looking to unclutter their visual communication. Design across all forms of visual communication will revert to its core design principles – clean lines, use of negative space, appropriate use of imagery and colour, and no unnecessary decoration.

7.Instant gratification information

Here we see another extension of our personal lives into the business environment.People don’t want to spend time interpreting information. They want to understand now so that they can act immediately, if necessary. So, expect to see more text being replaced by appropriate imagery – because images require much less processing than text, helping audiences quickly digest and understand content.

8. The Creative Corporation

After years of economic pressure, consumers need some levity and will be looking for a sense of fun in their lives. This requirement will extend into their work as well. To satisfy this need, companies must inject creativity into their day-to-activities, especially in communication. As a result, we’ll see visuals being used daringly to grab attention and get employees talking and then acting.

9.Animation on the rise

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, what’s a moving picture worth? Animation will be used increasingly to bring information to life, especially in industries like IT where animation makes invisible concepts like Cloud Computing more tangible.

10.Visual stories

Visuals will be used to do more than just convey information. In 2011, visual storytelling will start to surface as communicators recognise the need to engage audiences.

Infographics was a big trend in 2010 and this year we can expect to see even more raw data being converted into powerful stories. Rather than just impart statistics, mediums like infographics will be used to make these statistics meaningful.

11.Email video

2010 did not deliver the much anticipated technology that would allow email to play videos seamlessly within the body of an email.If this happens in 2011, the realm of visual communication will enter a new era.

Testimonials

"What a great concept. Anything that can turn a PowerPoint presentation into something more than just prompt notes on a screen would get my vote."

Chris MoerdykMarketing Analyst, Advisor and Media Commentator

"The ability for HolyCow to completely understand the fundamentals of our objectives and to translate these into a powerful vision is extraordinary. The massive impact of consolidated views, thoughts, images that Holy Cow has brought to life is incredible.

The end result of the product really did capture the true essence of our beliefs and what we stand for.

HOLY COW! That’s all I can say!"

Sheryll SukhooHPBI Program Co-ordinatorHewlett Packard South Africa

"We found HolyCow to be innovative and dynamic. The end product was incredibly professional and well presented. We are proud to be associated with HolyCow and look forward to future involvement."

"After nervously giving you guys the go-ahead on your MoodSetter product, I am very pleased to say the following: - it has been the best marketing money WE HAVE EVER SPENT! I will be contacting you shortly to brief in the next one!"

Isabel de MouraAbsa Investments: Linked Products

"We have had the great fortune to be on the receiving end of a range of professional services from the HolyCow team for over two years - from compilations of world-class marketing material for a McDonald’s Worldwide Convention display in the US to the complete design of our stunning website www.blu-prints.com.

Under conventional circumstances within in their creative industry, when considering their one-of-a-kind quality delivery, one would expect their talents to go to their heads. But they have remained firmly grounded as respectful mortals and just good space to deal with – Always."

Guy Martin

Managing Director

Bluprints™

"Just a quick note to thank you for your contribution to our national sales conference. The animation which you put together for us opened and closed the conference on the perfect note! Everyone was thoroughly impressed and we are still getting requests for copies. We look forward to working more closely with you in the future."

Nadine Kennedy Johnston

Absa AIMS; Head: Business Development

"I commissioned HolyCow on behalf of Hewlett-Packard to produce a series of promotional videos for the HP Business Institute, a large-scale enterprise development program that was launched by HP in 2007. Whilst the program’s mission is seemingly simple – to build capacity in the local ICT sector and grow the pool of skilled ICT resources – conveying this message in a succinct and powerful manner proves to be more challenging. The brief was to produce three videos that would capture the essence and spirit of the program in a way that only a visual medium like video can.

From the start of the project through to the end, HolyCow displayed an amazing creative energy and commitment to this project, which resulted in a product that can be summed up in one word: WOW! Whether used internally or externally to introduce the program to various stakeholders, including new recruits, the videos are achieving exactly what we set out to.

This is my second project with HolyCow and I hope to work with them in the not too distant future – it is always a pleasure as I know they will deliver beyond my expectations!

Thank you HolyCow!”

Jacques-Philip Hansen

Marketing Communications Lead: HP Business Institute

NetPartnering South Africa

"MagMinerals Inc. have retained the HolyCow Production Team to produce continuous coverage concerning the implementation of our Greenfield Kouilou Potash Project near Mengo, 25 km north east of the city of Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo (Capital Brazzaville). The HolyCow team will accompany MagMinerals’ potash project from current pre-financial close activities (e.g.. drilling, ESIA activities) until the end of construction which is expected to occur towards the end of 2012.

For the first two footages HolyCow have provided excellent work with exceptional and outstanding results. The team we worked with is very professional and authentic. The crew is fun to work with but most importantly excels by trying to absorb and comprehend MagMinerals’ objectives. This knowledge then gets transferred into the respective film coverage. We are more than happy with HolyCow Production’s performance and accountability and look forward to have them accompany our project."